These twenty four letters are an excellent window to China. They give a glimpse of the remarkable history and culture of China from 1200 AD ro 1949 the year the communists came to power. Starting with a description of the land and the people, the book first gives a brief account of Ancient China from 2000 BC - 1200 AD. It then takes the reader to the start of the Yuan dynasty under Genghis Khan and not only talks about his conquests and the expansion of this empire to Europe under his grandson Kublai Khan, but aiso gives an insight about the art, literature science and religion that flourished in this period. The rule of the Ming and Qing dynasties is well covered along with several important incidents which occurred in this period like the Tumu crisis, the activities of Japanese pirates, the opium, the Sino-French and the Sino-Japanese wars.